Mobile crematorium

ABSTRACT

A method, and apparatus, for cremating the remains of a deceased being. The method comprises transporting a mobile crematorium to a location wherein the deceased is to be cremated. The mobile crematorium comprises a first combustion chamber, wheels and a trailer hitch. The deceased remains are then heated in the first combustion chamber to a temperature of at least 1000° F. thereby creating combustion gases and noncombustible materials. The combustion gases are allowed to exit the first combustion chamber and the noncombustible materials are removed and placed in a storage device such as an urn.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention is related to a crematorium. Morespecifically the present invention is related to a mobile crematorium.

BACKGROUND

[0002] It is an unfortunate reality that disasters occur which result inlarge numbers of deaths. Disasters can be natural; such as hurricanes,earthquakes, etc., or they may be induced; such as acts of war orterrorism. When such disasters occur it is often necessary to lay largenumbers of human remains to their final rest.

[0003] Mass graves are sometimes used wherein large numbers of humanbodies are entered into a common grave and covered for burial. This isundesirable for many reasons including the difficulty associated withobtaining portions of land which are suitable for such mass burials.Cremation is possible yet this is unpractical since the bodies must betransported at a high cost and any transportation across borders mayrequire excessive paper work and administrative expense at a time whenmost individuals are not prepared for such efforts.

[0004] In the normal course of life many people choose to be crematedafter death. The cost of establishing a crematorium is high which limitsthe number of businesses wishing to establish this capability. A furthercomplication is the problem associated with jurisdictions. It is notuncommon for states to have limitations on the ability to transportdeceased bodies over territorial lines unless they are embalmed.Therefore, if a crematorium does not exist in a certain jurisdiction thebody may need to be embalmed prior to transporting them to a crematoriumin another jurisdiction. The cost of embalming is therefore anadditional expense which is unwarranted and typically occurs at a timeof emotional stress for the families of the deceased.

[0005] There is a need in the art to eliminate the necessity for acrematorium in every jurisdiction. There is also a need to circumventthe requirement that a deceased body be embalmed prior to transportationacross jurisdictional boundaries. This problem has been eliminated bythe present invention.

SUMMARY

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobilecrematorium which can be readily transported to diverse locations.

[0007] It is another object of the present invention to provide a mobilecrematorium which can be transported behind a tow vehicle, such as a caror truck, to a location and then the crematorium can be converted to astationary crematorium by removal of the incinerator from the frame andwheels.

[0008] These, and other objects, are provided in a method for crematingthe remains of a deceased being. The method comprises transporting amobile crematorium to a location wherein the deceased is to be cremated.The mobile crematorium comprises: a first combustion chamber, wheels,and a trailer hitch. The deceased remains are then heating in the firstcombustion chamber to a temperature of at least 1000° F. therebycreating combustion gases and noncombustible materials. The combustiongases are allowed to exit the first combustion chamber and thenoncombustible materials are removed and placed in a storage device suchas an urn.

[0009] A particularly preferred embodiment is provided in a mobilecrematorium. The mobile crematorium comprises a frame with anincinerator, wheels and a hitch attached thereto. The incineratorcomprises a first combustion chamber with a first combustion source anda second combustion chamber with a second combustion source. Combustionof the deceased occurs in the combustion chamber. Gases created by thefirst combustion are further combusted in the second combustion chamber.

[0010] A particularly preferred embodiment is provided in a method forcremating the remains of a deceased being. A mobile crematorium istransported to a location where the deceased being is to be cremated.The mobile crematorium comprises a first combustion chamber, wheels anda trailer hitch. The deceased being is heated in the first combustionchamber to a temperature of at least 1000° F. to create combustion gasesand noncombustible materials. The combustion gases exit the firstcombustion chamber and pass through a secondary combustion chamber. Thesecondary combustion chamber further comprises a heat source for furthercombusting the gases. The noncombustible materials are removed andplaced in a storage device.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0012]FIG. 2 is a partial cutaway view of a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention shown in perspective view.

[0013]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 2 takenalong line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

[0014]FIG. 4 is a rear view of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015]FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a preferred air flow pattern insidethe mobile crematorium.

[0016]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0017]FIG. 7 is a view of an embodiment of the present invention whereinthe incinerator and frame are separable.

[0018]FIG. 8 is a view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention wherein the incinerator has provides the visual perception ofa ship.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The present invention provides a mobile crematorium which greatlyincreases the availability of cremation to diverse areas without thehigh cost associated with development of a fixed crematorium. Theinvention will be described by reference to the drawings wherein similarelements are numbered accordingly.

[0020] A mobile crematorium, generally represented at 1, is shown inperspective view in FIG. 1. The mobile crematorium, 1, comprises anincinerator mounted on a frame, 17. The frame, 17, has adapted thereto atrailer tongue, 18, and associated hitch, 19. The frame, 17, furthercomprises a pair of wheels, 20. Attached to the frame, preferably on thetongue, 18, is at least one gas bottle, and more preferably, a pair ofgas bottles, 9 and 10, which supply a combustion mixture to anincinerator by pipes, 11. A flue, 14, allows for gases of combustion tobe discharged.

[0021] A mobile crematorium, generally represented at 1, is shown inpartial cutaway perspective view in FIG. 2. In general, the mobilecrematorium comprises a primary combustion chamber, 2, within which acasket, 3, is subjected to a heat sufficient to initiate combustion ofthe casket and contents. An optional, but preferred, secondarycombustion chamber, 4, is separated from the primary combustion chamberby a shield plate, 5. The dual combustion chamber and shield plategenerate a generally serpentine path for combustion product therebyincreasing combustion and allowing for the proper elimination ofminimally combusted gases. In one embodiment the shield plate, 5,comprises a slot, 6, through which gas transits from the primarycombustion chamber to the secondary combustion chamber.

[0022] A primary incinerator, 7, generates a primary flame, 8, which isthe source of heat which causes the casket and contents to combust. Theprimary incinerator, 7, is preferably a gas incinerator supplied by aportable gas bottle, 9. The portable gas bottle, 9, preferably comprisesan alkane gas, preferably propane. Oxygen for combustion can be suppliedfrom ambient air or an auxiliary portable gas bottle, 10, comprising anoxidizing gas, preferably oxygen. The gas bottles supply gas to theprimary incinerator, 7, through pipes, 11, as would be apparent to oneof ordinary skill in the art.

[0023] Combustion of the casket and contents creates combustion gases.Some portion of the combustion gas is the product of incompletecombustion. As well known in the art, it is imperative that most of thegas be fully oxidized prior to exhausting from the mobile crematorium.Towards this goal an optional, but preferred, secondary incinerator, 12,creates a secondary flame, 13, which ignites any gases passing throughthe slot, 6, which are not the product of complete combustion. In oneembodiment the slot, 6, is integral to the secondary incinerator, 12,such that the gases created in the primary combustion chamber areincorporated in the feed gas for the secondary incinerator.

[0024] The gaseous products of combustion exit the mobile crematoriumthrough a flue, 14, which is preferably attached to the top of themobile crematorium. The flue, 14, preferably comprises a flueincinerator, 15, which insures that any gaseous product which is not abyproduct of complete combustion will be combusted further.

[0025] A door, 16, reversibly seals the rear of the combustion chamber,2, to allow insertion of a casket and removal of non-combustiblematerial which is typically ash.

[0026] The mobile crematorium further comprises a frame, 17, which isadapted at the front end with a triangular portion, 18, which terminatesat a trailer hitch, 19. Wheels, 20, are attached to the frame by abracket and axle assembly as would be known in the art. The trailerhitch allows the entire mobile crematorium to be towed behind a vehicleon the wheels, 20.

[0027] An optional deflector, 44, insures that ash remains in theprimary chamber.

[0028] A cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 is providedin FIG. 3. In FIG. 3 the flame is extinguished thereby allowing thevarious incinerators to be more readily visualized

[0029] Each incinerator preferably comprises a nozzle, 30, which directsthe flame. For the primary incinerator, 7, and secondary incinerator,12, the nozzle preferably directs the flame towards the rear of therespective chamber. For the flue incinerator, 14, the nozzle directs theflame outward. The reasons for the preferred directional orientation ofthe flames will be described further in reference to FIG. 5.

[0030] The exterior walls of the mobile crematorium preferably comprisean interior liner, 31. The interior liner is preferably a metal which isstable with respect to heat. A particularly preferred interior liner isstainless steel. The exterior walls also preferably comprise an exteriorliner, 32. The exterior liner is chosen for aesthetics but also theliner provides an exterior material for heat insulation and to protectthe insulator, 33, which is preferably between the interior liner andexterior liner. Stainless steel is particularly preferred as an exteriorliner. The insulator is preferably a ceramic fibrous material. Typicalinsulators comprising oxides of silicon, calcium, and magnesium withlower levels of aluminum and iron oxides are particularly suitable forthe present invention.

[0031] A rear view of the mobile crematorium is provided in FIG. 4. InFIG. 4, the casket, 3, is shown inside the primary combustion chamber,2. A door, 41, attached to the exterior of the mobile crematorium byhinges, 42, allows the casket to be entered into the primary combustionchamber, 2. The door is then closed and sealed by compressing a seal,43, between the door, 41 and exterior wall of the mobile crematorium.The seal is preferably a ceramic fiber, such as alumina silicate, madeinto rope which is then secured to the mobile crematorium preferably ina recess. Multiple concentric seals can be used if so desired to insurethat a minimal amount of heat is lost. The door is preferably secured inthe closed position by a handle, 45, and latch, 46, as would beunderstood in the art. The wheels, 20, are rotatably attached to anaxle, 40, which is secured to the frame by a bracket, 47. The bracketmay further comprise shocks and springs as well known in the art ofsecuring an axle to a frame.

[0032] In practice, the secondary chamber and/or primary chamber arepreheated to a desired temperature. The primary incinerator ispreferably extinguished and the casket, or remains, is placed in theprimary combustion chamber through the door. The incinerators are thenignited with the preferred order of ignition being flue, secondary,primary. This insures that any gases created in the primary combustionchamber are sufficiently oxidized. The chambers are heated for asufficient amount of time to insure complete combustion. It is preferredthat the primary chamber be heated to a temperature of at least 1000° F.and more preferably the primary chamber is heated from approximately1200° F. to approximately 2200° F. The secondary combustion chamber ispreferably heated to approximately 1800-2200° F. After combustion iscomplete the chambers are allowed to cool and the remaining ash andnon-combusted materials are removed from the combustion chamber with adevice such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,195 which isincorporated herein by reference thereto.

[0033] Temperature controllers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,745which is incorporated herein by reference thereto. Burners and controlsare described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,957,065; 5,014,630 and 4,257,335 eachof which is incorporated herein by reference thereto.

[0034] A preferred flow path of combustion gases is illustratedschematically in cross-sectional view in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5 the primaryflame generates a flow pattern which is away from the primaryincinerator, 7. Upon contacting the back wall the gas reverses andeventually escapes from the primary combustion chamber into thesecondary combustion chamber through the slot, 6, in the shield plate,5. The secondary flame from the secondary incinerator, 12, continues topersuade the gases in a serpentine path for eventual exit through theflue, 14. The serpentine path allows sufficient time for the gases ofcombustion to be fully oxidized thereby decreasing the emission ofpartially oxidized gases. Furthermore, the serpentine path encouragesthe ash to settle in the primary combustion chamber instead of beingaspirated into the secondary combustion chamber or flue. It is a desirethat the ash be completely recovered for sentimental reasons and toavoid ashes from different cremation events being interspersed.

[0035] A particularly preferred embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 6. InFIG. 6 the mobile crematorium, generally represented at 100, has theaesthetic design of a ship. The wheels, 20, frame, 17, tongue, 18,trailer hitch, 19, and flue, 14, are as described previously. A storagestructure, 63, extending upward from the tongue, 18, provides the visualappeal of a ship bow. An optional, but preferred, cover, 62, allows thestorage structure, 63, to be used for storage and concealment ofsupplies such as gas bottles and the like.

[0036] Additional flues, 60, or blank flue stacks, 61, furthercontribute to the visual appearance of a ship. The flue may be utilizedwith additional chambers for further combustion or they may beaesthetic.

[0037]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1illustrating an embodiment wherein the incinerator is separable from theframe. This embodiment allows the incinerator to be transported by a towvehicle, such as a car or truck, to a preferred location. Theincinerator can then be placed on an elevated stand or on the ground togreatly improve the aesthetics of the device. Furthermore, theincinerator can be loaded on a ship, train car, of transport plane fortransportation over long distances and then reloaded on a trailer forlocal transportation. This greatly increases the versatility of themobile crematorium.

[0038] A perspective view of a particularly preferred embodiment isprovided in FIG. 8. In FIG. 8, the incinerator, generally shown at 200,comprises a frame, 17, and wheels, 20, as described herein. Theincinerator further comprises portable gas bottles, 9 and 10, withassociated pipes, 11. The portable gas bottles may be reversibly mountedon a triangular portion, 18. A hitch, 19, allows the incinerator to beutilized as a trailer. The front of the incinerator preferably includesa triangulated enclosure, 201, which provides an enclosed storage areaas well as the aesthetic appeal of a ship. The triangulated enclosuremay further comprise a cover. Attached to the upper extent of theincinerator body, 202, is a superstructure, 203. The superstructure maybe the secondary incinerator or the primary and secondary incineratormay be incorporated into the incinerator body, 202, in which case thesuperstructure may be a tertiary incinerator. The superstructure mayalso be aesthetic adding to the visual perception of a ship. Attached tothe upper extent of the incinerator body, 202, are exhaust stacks, 204and 205. Additional exhaust stacks, 206 and 207, are attached to theupper extent of the superstructure. At least one exhaust stack is aflue. If the superstructure is aesthetic then exhaust stacks 206 and 207are aesthetic and one of 204 or 205 is a flue. If the superstructure isfunctional, such as a secondary or tertiary incinerator, then one ofexhaust stacks 206 or 207 is a flue.

[0039] The frame is preferably manufactured from “I” beams due to thestrength to weight ratio obtained thereby. Tubing, such as round orrectangular, may also be used for forming the frame. In one embodimentthe mobile crematorium may be easily separated into a crematorium and aframe. For example, the mobile crematorium may function as a trailer fortowing behind a vehicle or the crematorium may be separated from theframe and loaded onto a ship, barge, or railcar for transport over longdistance rapidly and efficiently. In another embodiment the frame isintegral to the crematorium and not able to be separated.

[0040] The mobile crematorium is generally a parallelopiped but othersimilar shapes including rounded parallelopiped are within the scope ofthe present invention.

[0041] The invention has been described with particular emphasis drawnto the preferred embodiments. The invention is set forth morespecifically in the claims which follow.

Claimed is:
 1. A method for cremating the remains of a deceased beingcomprising: transporting a mobile crematorium to a location of saiddeceased being wherein said mobile crematorium comprises: a firstcombustion chamber; wheels; and a trailer hitch; heating said deceasedbeing in said first combustion chamber to a temperature of at least1000° F. to create combustion gases and noncombustible materials;allowing said combustion gases to exit said first combustion chamber;removing said noncombustible materials; and placing said removednoncombustible materials in a storage device.
 2. The method of claim 1further comprising: passing said combustion gases through a secondarycombustion chamber wherein said combustion gases are subjected tofurther combustion.
 3. The method of claim 2 further comprising: passingsaid combustion gases through a flue incinerator wherein said combustiongases are subjected to further combustion.
 4. The method of claim 1wherein said mobile crematorium further comprises a frame with saidfirst combustion chamber attached to said frame and said wheels attachedto said frame.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein said first combustionchamber is reversibly attached to said frame.
 6. The method of claim 5further comprising: separating said first combustion chamber from saidframe prior to said heating.
 7. A mobile crematorium comprising: aframe; an incinerator attached to said frame wherein said incineratorcomprises a first combustion chamber with a first combustion source anda second combustion chamber with a second combustion source and whereincombustion of a deceased being occurs in said first combustion chamberand gases created by said combustion are further combusted in saidsecond combustion chamber; wheels attached to said frame; and a hitchattached to said frame for reversibly attaching said mobile crematoriumto a vehicle.
 8. The mobile crematorium of claim 7 wherein said frameand said incinerator are reversibly attached.
 9. The mobile crematoriumof claim 7 wherein said incinerator further comprises a flue forreceiving said combustion gases from said second combustion chamber anddischarging said combustion gases from said incinerator.
 10. The mobilecrematorium of claim 9 wherein said flue further comprises anincinerator.
 11. The mobile crematorium of claim 7 further comprising ashield plate between said first combustion chamber and said secondcombustion chamber.
 12. The mobile crematorium of claim 11 furthercomprising a slot in said shield plate.
 13. The mobile crematorium ofclaim 7 wherein said incinerator is reversible attached to said frame.14. The mobile crematorium of claim 7 further comprising a tongueattached to said frame.
 15. The mobile crematorium of claim 14 furthercomprising a storage structure attached to said tongue.
 16. A method forcremating the remains of a deceased being comprising: transporting amobile crematorium to a location of said deceased being wherein saidmobile crematorium comprises: a first combustion chamber; a secondcombustion chamber; wheels; and a trailer hitch; heating said deceasedbeing in said first combustion chamber to a temperature of at least1000° F. to create combustion gases and noncombustible materials;allowing said combustion gases to exit said first combustion chamber;passing said combustion gases through said secondary combustion chamberwherein said secondary combustion chamber further comprises a heatsource for combustion said gases; removing said noncombustiblematerials; and placing said removed noncombustible materials in astorage device.
 17. The method of claim 16 further comprising: passingsaid combustion gases through a flue incinerator wherein said combustiongases are subjected to further combustion.